Western New York celebrates first day of spring with $114,531 raised through 'Spring It On'

by jmaloni

Submitted

Fri, Mar 21st 2014 05:05 pm

Nearly
250 nonprofits participated in 24-hour fundraising initiative

Western New York
celebrated the first day of spring Thursday by giving generously through "Spring
It On," a 24-hour online fundraising event. More than $114,000 was raised to
benefit a diverse group of nonprofit organizations that posted and tweeted
about the unique one-day event.

The amount raised was a
significant increase over the $76,000 donated in 2013, the event's inaugural
year. Arts and cultural, education, health and human services, environmental,
religious and animal protection organizations were among the beneficiaries of
the contributions.

"Spring It On" is an
online giving event created and powered by the United Way of Buffalo and Erie
County. It is designed to raise awareness and funds for not-for-profit
organizations. The event was expanded this year beyond Erie and Niagara counties
to include Chautauqua, Allegany and Orleans counties. It grew from 182
participating organizations last year to nearly 250 this year.

"Spring It On," is
modeled on successful one-day fundraising events in other communities,
including Rochester's "ROC The Day." The event's goal is to mobilize
citizens for one day of giving to strengthen and support the community.

Individuals were able to
make a one-time, secure, online donation to the local not-for-profit agency of
their choice through a specially designed website, www.springiton.org. United Way and
participating agencies promoted the event through social media messaging,
website communication and traditional marketing initiatives. All 501(c) 3
organizations in the five counties were eligible to participate. Each
organization set their own fundraising goals and promoted the event directly to
their supporters.

Michael Weiner, president
and CEO of United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, said, "We knew we had a great
event last year when we first introduced 'Spring It On.' Success this year
proves that this is a wonderful tool for nonprofits of any size to reach out to
the community, share their story, and raise discretionary funds in a highly
visible and yet cost-effective manner. We are thrilled with the success of 'Spring It On,'
both in terms of the number of organizations across five counties that
participated, and the amount of money raised. As always, the Western New York
community truly demonstrated its generous spirit!"

The United Way of
Buffalo and Erie County brings people, organizations and resources together to
improve community well-being. Through program funding, community collaborations
and strategic initiatives in the areas of education, income, and health and
wellness, the United Way strives to help children reach their full potential,
adults and families achieve financial stability, and people of all ages achieve
and maintain physical, social and emotional health.